Chapter 39

Goaded by Izuku Midoriya's demand that he fight properly, Shoto Todoroki decides his father must have paid the boy to push him this hard, and charges in furious. The ice has been overused, though, and frostbite makes his movements clumsy as he closes, leaving him unable to dodge. A One For All punch lands in his stomach, dropping him to the floor with light injuries. He rises and throws another wave of ice, weaker than the last, which Izuku shreds with a burst of wind pressure that knocks him back. Asked why he is going this far, Izuku says he intends to meet his mentor's expectations and to become an incredible hero, the kind of hero whose smile answers people. He hits Shoto again, admitting he may never grasp his circumstances or his resolve, but calling it a joke to chase the number one spot at half strength purely to spite someone. Shoto tells him to shut up.

The memories surface. Training began at five and ran until he vomited. His father was violent toward him and toward Rei Todoroki, and kept him away from his siblings. As he remembers, the frostbite reaches full effect, icy patches spreading across his right side until he can barely move, and Izuku strikes him once more. He recalls his mother throwing scalding water across his face, and his father committing her to a hospital afterward, the moment his hatred took root.

Getting up, Shoto hears Izuku tell him that the fire is his alone and nobody else's. The words unlock what his mother once told him: that his bloodline does not own him, and he can be whatever he chooses. Moved, Shoto finally lights his left side, drawing a wicked smile of satisfaction from Endeavor, and tells Izuku with a smile of his own that he wants to be a hero too.

Shoto's past comes to light: his father is abusive, and the scar on his face was given to him by his mother.

Izuku draws out the full extent of Shoto's power by telling him the fire belongs to him rather than to his father.

Endeavor gives a menacing smile as he watches his son finally unleash his flames.

The chapter runs nineteen pages and was published on April 20, 2015, in issue 21 of 2015. It appears in Volume 5 as part of the U.A. Sports Festival arc, between Chapter 38 and Chapter 40, and carries both a cover and a sketch. Shoto Todoroki and Izuku Midoriya share the cover, and Episode 23 of the anime adapts it.

The action takes place in the Sports Festival Stadium at U.A. High School in Musutafu, Japan, continuing the bout between Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki. Horikoshi's author comment mentions rewatching the new Mad Max trailer many times over.